THOTCON


Thotcon is Chicago's first-ever hacker conference, whose name is derived from the first letter in the words that represent Chicago's first telephone Area Code: 312. The event is produced by THOTCON Infinity NFP, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization., and held every 2 years, usually in May. The event numbering scheme is expressed in hexadecimal.
Originally organized by Nicholas Percoco, Matt "Jaku" Jakubowski, Jonathan "SakeBomb" Tomek, John Mocuta, David "VideoMan" Bryan, and several others who were all volunteers from the local "DEF CON 312" meetup chapter. It is held at a "top secret" location each year which is not publicly disclosed, though this location does not change often.
The conference was originally held on a single day but expanded to two consecutive days from 2015 onward. It currently features multiple tracks of speakers presenting on various information security and hacking topics. These talks range in length from standard 45-minute seminars, shorter "Turbo Talks", and longer demo and workshop presentations.
The conference also features "villages," which operate during the entire length of the conference. These offer subject matter experts who often provide hands-on instruction for various topics such as locksport, wireless security hacking, and other technical topics. Vendor booths are also present featuring representatives from various information security companies as well as nonprofit organizations such as Women in CyberSecurity and Black Girls Code.
Contests are also prevalent at the conference, the most difficult of which may offer the highly-coveted prize of a "Gold Badge," which offers free lifetime admission to all future THOTCON events. These contests are often both technical and non-technical, offering all skill levels a fair chance at winning something. Recurring contests include: solving the challenge inside the electronic conference badge, the "Hacker Jeopardy" game show, and completing esoteric physical challenges.
In later years, food and beverages, including alcoholic, began being offered for sale at the conference by the venue. A "VIP" area was added for use by anyone possessing a VIP badge, which offers a quiet, secluded lounge as well as free food and beverages.
The conference has also always featured some sort of "After-Party," though some years this is "unofficial" and not directly organized or funded by the conference. It is however always featured in the program. The after-party often features EDM by DJs from the hacker scene who attend the conference such as FuzzyNOP of Dual Core, as well as bands such as I Fight Dragons and Information Society.
The conference is primarily funded by information security sponsors, however some income is also generated by attendees purchasing admission and merchandise.
The 13th event, thus titled "THOTCON 0xD," is scheduled to be held on May 30-31, 2025, at an undisclosed location. It is expected to operate similarly to recent offerings.
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History

  • THOTCON 0x1 was held on April 23, 2010, at Joe's Bar.
  • THOTCON 0x2 was held on April 15, 2011, also at Joe's Bar in Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x3 was held on April 27, 2012, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x4 was held on April 26, 2013, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x5 was held on April 25, 2014, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x6 was held on May 14–15, 2015, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x7 was held on May 5–6, 2016, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x8 was held on May 4-5, 2017, at the Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL.
  • THOTCON 0x9 was held on May 5–6, 2018, at the Irish American Heritage Center
  • THOTCON 0xA was held on May 3–4, 2019 at the Irish American Heritage Center.
  • THOTCON 0xB was held on October 8–9, 2021, at the Irish American Heritage Center
  • THOTCON 0xC was held on May 19–20, 2023, at the Irish American Heritage Center

Notable Speakers

Past speakers of THOTCON events have included:
, best known for his work in automotive security research.